Even though I've been to Lincoln's hundreds of times, I'd never tried their cheeseburger. Saddened by the loss of my favourite burger in the region, I'm on the prowl for a new fav. Lincoln's burger reminded me of Schoop's, but with less crispy edges. I was made very happy by the copious amount of bacon they added on top.

MincyBits had a very complete meal. Split Pea soup and a slice of pumpkin pie (with a ton of whipped cream on top, at the hearty recommendation of the old lady at the counter - I always forget her name, all the girls there just call her "Mom") She reports that both were absolutely delicious.

Cogito wrote:DaBeef, I'm glad you finally got hooked up at the true source for Lincoln's. They simply blow away the pretenders, eh? Did you check out any soup, it's usually pretty good. On my last visit a coupla weeks back, I must say that I was disappointed to see that some of their sandwiches had switched over to those Gonnella French Rolls instead of real French bread. Those rolls don't cut it. I complained, I hope they listen.

The Lure has been around forever also. I ate there a few times a long time ago. It didn't strike me as anything uber-special, but OK.

Cogito and others,

I'm going to be back in Michigan City next week and want to stop at Lincolns again. What are some of the sandwiches to be had other than the steel city and ones I tried above? thanks.

Da Beef wrote:What are some of the sandwiches to be had other than the steel city and ones I tried above? thanks.

My personal go-to sandwich is the Cal City Special (it's constant temptation, as I live about a block away). I also truly appreciate their David Berg hot dog, which is split, grilled, and served on one of their huge, buttery, toasted rolls with all the toppings you could hope for. My dad swears by the Taco Burger, which is too sloppy for me but doused in delicious-looking chili. If you're feeling lighter their croissant sandwiches are never soggy, and I have yet to have a bad soup. Y'know, I believe Llama had an Italian beef there last time that he said was pretty darn good; at least, he devoured it quickly enough and without complaint. As I type this out, I come to one obvious conclusion: there is no bad meal at Lincoln's. My reccomendation is that you try something new each time... but start with the Cal City Special. And whatever you do, don't forget the pie!!

Cogito wrote:DaBeef, I'm glad you finally got hooked up at the true source for Lincoln's. They simply blow away the pretenders, eh? Did you check out any soup, it's usually pretty good. On my last visit a coupla weeks back, I must say that I was disappointed to see that some of their sandwiches had switched over to those Gonnella French Rolls instead of real French bread. Those rolls don't cut it. I complained, I hope they listen.

The Lure has been around forever also. I ate there a few times a long time ago. It didn't strike me as anything uber-special, but OK.

Cogito and others,

I'm going to be back in Michigan City next week and want to stop at Lincolns again. What are some of the sandwiches to be had other than the steel city and ones I tried above? thanks.

Sorry for the delay, I meant to answer your question sooner. My favorites are the Chester hoagie, Philly steak, Cal City Special, US Steel, and the corned beef sndwich. I've never really had anything from Lincoln's that wasn't pretty good.

Right now I'm suffering from a slight case of buyer's remorse concerning Lincoln's. I grew up eating their sandwiches from the original store in Gary that closed in the 70's. I didn't know they had moved to a new spot until I rediscovered them recently. So my expectations were tuned into what I had eaten for about 10 years at the Gary store. I have noticed that the sandwiches, while being very good, just didn't seem as good as I remembered them. Then I realized that they had replaced the French bread with those Rosen sandwich rolls. I find them very boring and don't care for them much. If I had not gotten used to the good bread, I would probably still be a happy camper because even with these rolls, the sandwiches are still pretty good. But not as good as they used to be. I have complained to them a couple of times and finally got the straight scoop. When George, the old owner, ran the place, everything was as good as it could be, he was a perfectionist. He would never have replaced good French bread with these tasteless rolls. But the place is now run by his wife, who basically is a cashier. She is very old and not really involved in running the place, that being done by one of her old employees that stayed with them all this time since the Gary shop. I talked to her and she admitted that the rolls suck, but nobody (except me) complains about it, because they have nothing to compare it against. So why do they use the rolls? It's easier. They don't have to cut the bread, deal with waste or odd shaped loaves, and they don't go stale as quickly. They do use French bread for their giant party subs though, so it is worth asking to see if they have it available, otherwise you'll get the default sandwich roll. Also, I urge everybody to mention this to the manager and tell her she should at least have French bread available upon request.

Went to Higland Lincolns last week. A thick 6'' italian sub for $3.50 ! The old woman who started it was manning the register. When I remarked to the girl taking my order 'could you put that on french bread' the old gal said 'no , we dont do that anymore , things change '.

dbrick59 wrote:Went to Higland Lincolns last week. A thick 6'' italian sub for $3.50 ! The old woman who started it was manning the register. When I remarked to the girl taking my order 'could you put that on french bread' the old gal said 'no , we dont do that anymore , things change '.

We were in Lincoln O's a few months ago. Remembering the comments about the French bread, we asked for it and was declined, too.

Maybe you bring your own French bread? People have been known to bring habaneros for their pizza.

dbrick59 wrote:Went to Higland Lincolns last week. A thick 6'' italian sub for $3.50 ! The old woman who started it was manning the register. When I remarked to the girl taking my order 'could you put that on french bread' the old gal said 'no , we dont do that anymore , things change '.

Da Beef wrote:There was an interesting selection but what really caught my eye were the prices. It seems to me like a deluxe meal price is a little high for a burger drive In in NW Indiana. They do include fries, soft drink and like Miner Dunn-a scoop of sherbert or ice cream. Still its a steep price for lunch in that area.

Yikes! You're right DB. I used to live in Hammond and have been to the BT many times, but not recently. They really have jacked up the price for a deluxe. What kind of bread is that on your Lincoln burger?

The pic is from the winter so its been a while but I do remember getting two types of bread on the various sandwiches we ordered. I don't remember if it was the burger that had the house bread or the sandwiches. As you see from the bread on this crisper picture below it looks like French bread and the burger might be a Rosens roll.

New member here. I lurk a lot and really enjoy this forum, but I don't get out much, and since I wouldn't have much to contribute, I never bothered registering. But now I have something to say, so here I am (sorry, I can't add any pictures).

I live in the area, and I'm a regular customer of Lincoln's O in Highland. I've had about 75% of the items on the menu, and while I was kind of "meh" about 2 or 3 things, everything else has been thoroughly enjoyable. The fried chicken breast sandwich is very good. It's your standand chicken+lettuce+tomato+mayo combo on a bun. The chicken is very flavlorful and fried nicely. As an added bonus, they toast the bun which makes it crispy around the edge, giving it an added texture that I really enjoy. They also offer a grilled chicken breast sandwich. The chicken on it is thick, juicy, and very well cooked, but it's a bit bland for my liking. I highly recommend the fish sandwich. It has fish, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and tartar sauce. I'm not sure what kind of fish it is, but it's quite tasty. You can either get a single (one piece of fish, round bun), or a double (two pieces of fish on the long sub bun). Both taste the same. No matter what I order there, I always get a good meal for a good price.

Now for a few more of my favorite spots...

Lately, I've been eating a lot at Arrenello's Pizza in Highland (they also have locations in Glenwood and Tinley Park). They have a sweet sauce on their pizza which I like (but I know a lot of people do not). Their stuffed pizza is very popular, but I much prefer the thin crust. Recently, I've been exploring their non-pizza offerings. One such example is the buffalo chicken breast sandwich. You can order it breaded or naked (grilled). I know many hard-core Buffalo traditionalists think breading is a sin, but I like mine breaded. The piece of chicken had excellent Buffalo flavor. The sandwich also had lettuce, tomato, red onion, and mayo on it. All the different flavors blended together very well, and no one flavor dominated the others. The bun could've been a bit fresher, but by no means am I complaining. Last time, I had a fish sandwich. It had two pieces of fish on it that were batter-dipped and deep fried to a crispy, golden brown. The sandwich also had lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce. The onion rings are light, flaky and crumbly. I've had their broasted chicken several times in the past, and it's very good as well.

A new place on the landscape is Carnival Times Sweets & Treats in Griffith. This is the place to go to get an elephant ear of a funnel cake when the carnival isn't in town (the elephant ears are outstanding). Last time I was there, I had a polish sausage. It had cucumbers, tomatoes, mustard, and relish on it, and was excellent. They also have other stuff like fried Twinkies, fried pickles, and fried Oreos. As I mentioned before they just opened a few months ago, so they're still tweaking the menu a bit. They recently added chicken wings, and they're very good. They also sell large cupcakes and even homemade dog treats.

My favorite Chinese place is Lung Wah in Hammond. I usually order the Three Happiness chow mein. It has pieces of beef, chicken, and shrimp. Last time I was there, I tried the potstickers. They came with what appeared to be a red pepper flake paste for dipping, which was outstanding. I've never tried any, but I hear they serve excellent Margaritas (yes, Margaritas at a Chinese restaurant). The steamed stuffed mushrooms are good too.

Well, that's all for now. I hope I've given everybody some good ideas.

Cogito wrote:Welcome to the party, DK. I'm with you on Lincoln's fish sammie, it's the bomb. I believe they use cod fish.

Darn, wish I had remembered this rec while I was there! Even saw the Fish Sandwich advertised (listed among the special-page for things that were "kosher" on the Lenten menu)...but didnt remember much said about it, so passed on it. Next time..(BTW, they have a "fish sandwich", and also a "Perch Sandwich" - I presume the above rec is for the "fish"?)

It was my first trip to Lincoln's (well, second - but they were closed when I stopped by last year). Would like to thank you guys for the rec - definitely a spot I'll visit again, when in the Hammond area (as Iam much oftener during summer).

Took a couple of sandwiches to go. First, the famous Chester Hoagie (ham, cappicola, Genoa salami, prov) - a good sandwich. Not IMHO a great one...my tastes are slightly spoiled in this regard by spots like Bari - where the bread is fresher (and crisper). But a fine sandwich that I'll be happy to have anytime... and for $3.75, a little more than half Bari's price! My second was on asking for a rec from the counter-girl (was waffling between the Cal City Special and the Sibley Special). She said her fave was the Sibley (roast breast of turkey, bacon, swiss, lettuce, tomato, mayo, topped with hard-boiled egg), so thats the direction I went - this was a quite excellent sandiwch IMHO, had it much later and it was still very satisfying, I think I liked it even more than the Chester. And another real steal, at $4.49!

Everyone there is ridiculously friendly too - I picked up the huge paper menu, and asked for directions while there, which they happily provided. Then sat down and was perusing the paper-menu, trying to work out exactly what I ought to order (and trying to remember what LTH had rec'd ... and no less than 3 people came up to me and asked if I was ok with directions and volunteered help (including customers, who I hadnt even asked - they had just overheard me asking)! And a fourth, a white-haired gent in his 70s.. who leaned in and muttered "dont forget the apple pie" in a conspiratal whisper to the obvious newbie as he passed So I didnt... took a slice of both the apple pie and the walnut pie to go. Both quite terrific as well - I had the walnut pie the next day, and thought it was actually even better than the apple. And $1.64 a slice! Really, for the stuff they have, their prices are quite amazing (whole pies go for $6.99!).

If I lived in the area, Id be a regular here. As it is, I think I have a regular spot to go to when in the Hammond area over summer (though Iam sometimes there on Sundays - and could still use a couple extra rec's for spots open then, since Lincoln's will be closed

I think Lincoln;s with its interesting history, unique dining room and sandwiches, could be a GNR someday. Keep going, talk about those delicious sandwiches and keep up the dialogue. I have been there only once and really want to get back there sometime soon.

c8w wrote:Took a couple of sandwiches to go. First, the famous Chester Hoagie (ham, cappicola, Genoa salami, prov) - a good sandwich. Not IMHO a great one...my tastes are slightly spoiled in this regard by spots like Bari - where the bread is fresher (and crisper). But a fine sandwich that I'll be happy to have anytime... and for $3.75, a little more than half Bari's price!

Those are my thoughts as well and I'm also very familiar with Bari. Anyone I've ever taken there has been impressed for what you get for the money. I definitely vote for it.

Walking into Lincoln's is an experience. The front, if you come in that way, looks more like some sort of strange antique shoppe. The only indication that it is actually a restaurant is a group of people, lined up 10 deep to place their food order. The line doesn't move particularly fast, you see, because the cash register is operated without fail by one of the daughters of original owner. She sits on her chair behind the counter, counting change with her octogenarian hands - I couldn't tell you her name, because everyone just calls her "Mom". If you're wavering on a food choice, she'll always recommended that you get some pie with whipped cream on it.

If you come in from the parking lot to the back door, it's a walk down memory lane. Pictures of the original store, the second store, a younger version of Mom taking an order, a shrine to George and Mom's sister, who have passed line a narrow hallway. You can tell at this point that this is a restaurant with history, with soul. It's the kind of place that friend's parents and even random strangers will sit and regale you with stories from their childhood, at the original location. There are very few places around Northwest Indiana where that happens anymore.

I had the day off of work today, so I decided to take a drive to Indiana to check out Lincoln's O, and I'm glad I did. To be sure, Lincoln's O is not going to give the Riviera or Bari a run for their money in the quality department, but for the princely sum of $3.75 for sandwiches and $1.49 for a nice slice of pie, it's is certainly a value proposition.

Lincoln's O's Chester Hoagie

This sandwich is served on some very soft bread, which is my biggest knock on the place. I felt the quality of the meats are on par with most everywhere in town short of the very top tier of places serving house cured or at least artisanal quality meats. I got the distinct taste of butter in a couple of the bites of this sandwich, leading me to believe that they might have buttered the bread before assembling the sandwich. Can someone confirm this?

Lincoln's O's Toledo

Going in, I thought this sandwich would be a lot like Wisconsin's bomber sandwiches, but it's not. It's actually a split Italian sausage link served with sautéed peppers & onions and topped with grocery store mozzarella cheese. This sandwich was served on garlic bread. It was better than the sum of its pats to be sure! I only wish the ingredients were a little hotter to better melt the mozzarella. I also thought that both sandwiches could have used a little bit of hot giardinara. I didn't ask if they had any, but next time if definitely will.

I topped off my lunch with a slice of cherry pie, which was very good. I was hoping to get a slice of walnut or pecan, but they were out of both.

Lincoln's O's Cherry Pie

This review might sound a bit negative, but really, I like the place a lot. Is it the best food you'll ever taste? No, but Lincoln's O is much more than just the food. It's an institution in the community and it's easy to see it holds a special place in the heart of NW Indianaians. I support it as a GNR.

Sadly, I have to close this post with some bad news. Catherine, or Mom as she is known by nearly everyone, passed away last Saturday Night/Early Sunday Morning.

I, too, support the Lincoln O's nom. Given how much time I spend at Markley Little League field in Highland from May through July, I'd be up a creek without a paddle (or eating A LOT of nasty hotdogs) without Lincoln O's nearby. And it truly is fun to eat there--very few place where I feel like a youngster any more!! As some of my LTH friends can attest, I'm not the biggest fan of pressed deli turkey (too slimy!!) but somehow, at Lincoln O's, it manages to rise above it's station. And they do provide giardinnaire if you ask.

On my next trip, I will verify the butter question if no one else has by then.

Glad to see this nomination and a little NWI love by the board.

"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Miles Kington

Mom's picture will now join the gallery of gilded framed photos of her husband and daughter who predeceased her. I recall meeting one other daughter working there. I hope she will continue operating the business.

Cogito wrote:DaBeef, read the first page of this thread. This is the only real "Lincoln's." The places you went to are pale comparisons that do not hold a candle to the real McCoy.

Lincoln's O 2813 Highway Ave., Highland, IN (219) 923-4144

Well I listened and I am glad I did. You were not lying that's for sure, not that I thought you were. I have now been to three different Lincoln's and to quote Cogito one more time "The places you went to are pale comparisons that do not hold a candle to the real McCoy"

This picture from across the street kind of sums up how nondescript Lincolns is, if you were a passerby you would never think that this is a sandwich place. When you look at it from the outside it looks as though it is either a wedding banquet hall or a wedding tailor or flower shop or something of that nature. Then when you step in the first thing that came to my mind was that I felt like I was at a hospital cafeteria. Its a large pink dining room with old school tables and chairs with fake flowers on each table and then the ordering station in the very back.

Just like the previous two Lincoln's I visited, they had all the sandwiches described on some paper taped onto the wall. Its really sad how excited I was when I finally found this place, I had been looking around for it every time I was in the area and never had the address. This time even with the address, google text didnt recognize it so I had to find it on my own.

I believe this was the Crisper, an Italian piled with meats, cheese and veggies. Notice how big these sandwiches are? They are just $3.95 each and I though we were getting sandwiches with the portions of the other Lincolns...no sir. This is the real McCoy.

Look at this Bunny Girl special compared to the one I got in Hobart (upthread) The meats are triple the amount and much better quality and the price is lower.

The Sibley special was a loaded sandwich consisting of turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, hard boiled egg and oil.

Portions for the price are almost unreal at the Real Lincoln's. This is half of a Lincoln burger...what I think were four all beef patty's with special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles onions on a French bread bun. But this was so much better than a Big Mac. When did Lincolns come up with this burger? if it was before 1968, McDonald's ripped them off.

I really enjoyed this sandwich, burger or whatever you want to call it.

Lincoln's is the real deal, thats for sure. I see a visit from Diner, Drive In's & Dives in their near future. It really is a diamond in the rough.

Lincoln's is legit. It's the perfect type of spot that is much deserved of a GNR. When I first learned about Lincoln's and it's history and presence in NW Indiana I was immediately enamored. It's not ethnic but it's def. below the radar, especially to us city folk, although its still not all that far from us. You know your the real deal when you spawn a whole lot of imitators and over the years you never change a thing and the people keep on coming back to the one and only original. Without LTH and the great people that help make it, this is the type of spot I would never of known about, both the food and it's history. So as you can see from a post I made back in November of '08, I back this nomination.

Some other random pictures...

The pie is as good as you'd expect it to be when its a few old ladies running the show

The US Steel Sandwich has quality roast beef

Picture from opening day hung along the wall in the photo display hallway

Last edited by Da Beef on February 28th, 2011, 1:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

stevez wrote:This sandwich is served on some very soft bread, which is my biggest knock on the place.

Were your sandwiches actually served on French bread, not rolls? I have been bitching at them for awhile now about switching to those Rosen sandwich rolls, which suck compared to freshly cut bread. I'm wondering if they have gone back to French bread?

stevez wrote:This review might sound a bit negative, but really, I like the place a lot. Is it the best food you'll ever taste? No, but Lincoln's O is much more than just the food. It's an institution in the community and it's easy to see it holds a special place in the heart of NW Indianaians. I support it as a GNR.

I know I made a comment above about their sandwich "not being up to Bari's"... but I strongly support Lincoln O's for a GNR, and have sort-of revised my opinion in re Baris/DaRiv.

No, the Italian sandwich isnt up to Bari's or Da Riv... But Ive learned I dont need to *have* the Italian sandwich at Lincoln O's! They do, after all, offer many more varieties of sandwiches than Bari or DaRiv do, theyre not as specialized, so I now say.. why bother to compare just their Italian? They do a massive variety of sandwishes - and they do most of them very very well indeed. I havent needed to try their Italian sandwich since my first trip.

The last time, I tried their Fish Sandwich - which was terrific. The couple trips before that I went with the Sibley Special - turkey, mayo, bacon, boiled eggs.. excellent sandwiches, both of them. Next time I plan on their Chicken Sandwich, of which Ive heard much praise. Ive taken their Egg Salad to go - buck-fiddy, and pretty damn terrific. Their soups are very good. Their pie-slices are excellent - I usually take two or three slices to go.

Lincoln Os, apart from being an institution, apart from being amazingly economical, also serves *very good food* IMHO. I say GNR.

stevez wrote:This sandwich is served on some very soft bread, which is my biggest knock on the place.

Were your sandwiches actually served on French bread, not rolls? I have been bitching at them for awhile now about switching to those Rosen sandwich rolls, which suck compared to freshly cut bread. I'm wondering if they have gone back to French bread?

Still rolls as of yesterday (3/6/11). I didn't find out about Lincoln's until after they started using them, but french bread certainly sounds like it would be a lot better.

I strongly agree with Lincoln's becoming a GNR. There's just something about it. I'm about a 25 minute drive from there, but I still find myself there at least once a month. For me, it's just one of those places where when you get the craving nothing else will do. As has been said, it's not necessarily the best food you'll ever eat, but for my money it's definitely the best food of it's type - far better than any big chain fast food joint and at least a bit better than any independent one I've had.

The Lincolns in Calumet city was the location of this place after Gary and before Highland. I am sad that mom Catherine died but maybe its a new opportunity to get the daughters Helen & Bonnie to go back to bread for the sandwiches. Remember to start asking for bread. I also agree this place should be nominated for a GNR.

I always ask for french bread when I go there, instead of those insipid rolls. It's gotten to the point where they call me the "bread man," and tell me that they don't have any french bread available, before I even ask for it. I always find that odd since they advertise that they make their 36" party subs on french bread. Grrr.... Well, I urge everyone who goes there to request french bread, maybe we can make a collective dent in their armor to the point where they will back the bread. It was soooo much better than these rolls.

just guessing that the reason they can't make it for you on the spot, even thought they offer the party subs is because when they have an order for those, they order the bread in specifically for that--french bread doesn't have a shelf life and I'm sure that's why they don't have it around if they're not using it on a day to day basis. I'll likely be there for lunch tomorrow and will request FB to support the cause. I'm sure that as superior as the sandwich would be with it, the regular clientele is happy enough with it as is.

"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Miles Kington

The problem is that there are a lot of young whippersnappers that don't know any better, thinking they're already in some kind of sandwich nirvana when they eat there. And in a way, they are. But if they ever tried two sandwiches, one with french bread and the other on a roll, side-by-side, they'd drop those rolls like hot potatoes.

I think this place needs a soft touch. A Facebook call to action might not be useful.

I think a steady flow of polite requests from people they know will help. There are people on this board who are practically neighbors to Lincoln's O. Who knows what influenced them to change bread, though it is probably related to cost.